1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to an electrical connector device for signal leads, and more particularly to an electrical connection socket structure for connecting signal leads.
2. Related Art
Networks and telephones are indispensable tools in people's daily life. So currently, many wired communication systems, for example, networks or telephone systems have been planned no matter in dwelling houses or office area. Communication cables (e.g. network or telephone lines) wired in the building are disposed on a socket panel and exposed outside the wall through. One end of the connector is electrically connected to the communication cables in the building, and the other end has a slot exposed outside the socket panel. Signal leads of telephones, computers, printers, and other electronic devices may be inserted into the slots of the connectors, so as to be connected to the communication cables in the building by the use of the connectors. Common socket panels are mostly separate and scattered on the walls, and this manner may better meet the demands of common family subscribers. In situations of large number of subscribers in a family or office area, for the comprehensive arrangement of the network or telephone lines, the network or the telephone lines are integrated in a gather box. A signal line connection socket similar to the socket panel may be disposed in the gather box, for connecting the communication cables in the building and the signal leads of the electronic devices.
The signal line connection socket is constituted by a front plate and a circuit board. An edge of the front plate is fixed on the gather box, and the circuit board is directly locked on the back side of the front plate through screws. The circuit board has terminal blocks having a plurality of insulation displacement connection terminals (IDC terminals) and connector slots electrically connected with contact terminals of the IDC terminals. Both the terminal blocks and the connector slots are exposed outside the front plate. The IDC terminals are provided for the connection of the communication cables in the building, and the connector slots are provided for the connection of the signal leads of the electronic devices. Thus, the electronic devices are electrically connected to the communication cables through the signal line connection socket. The process of installing the communication cables to the IDC terminals is usually called “wiring” in the industry. That is, the communication cables are pressed to insert in the IDC terminals by the use of a tool, so as to cut a superficial plastic insulating layer on the cables, such that the IDC terminals contact the metal wires in the cables and the cables fix at the same time. During the process of wiring, the terminal blocks may suffer the external force repetitively, and the external force is transferred to the front plate via the circuit board. Moreover, if the operation is improper, the tool may directly hit the front plate, and the front plate endures most of the external force in the wiring process. So, the structural strength and durability of the front plate become especially important.
In order to enhance the structural strength and the durability of the front plate, the front plates of most of the signal line connection sockets are made of a metal material, such that the front plate can pass the standard intensity test. However, the cost of the metal material is considerably expensive, and the manufacturing procedure is quite difficult. For example, the metal processing procedure, such as turning and punching, must be adopted to form the finished products, and thus the production cost is considerably expensive. Therefore, the cost of the front plate made of the metal material cannot be effectively reduced, such that the price of the signal line connection sockets is quite expensive.